Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!  Mother’s Day and my past week’s activities have made me think about my 2 wonderful grandmother’s.  I miss them dearly, but was so blessed to have both of them close while my brother and I grew up.  We lived a quarter of a mile from one grandmother.  If mom and dad were busy in the field, it was a safe bet that my brother and I were at her house, except on Tuesday and Thursday because those were her quilting days and nothing got in the way of her quilting days at two different churches.

My paternal grandfather died when my dad was a sophomore in college.  My grandmother refused to let my dad quit college and instead continued to run the farm by herself with my dad’s help on the weekend until he graduated.  I guess you can see where I get my work ethic. 

My Grandma Evelyn only lived down the road from us growing up.  Here she is at
 her 90th Birthday Party.  In the background are some of the amazing quilts she 
made for her family over the years.  I used to love laying under the quilts in 
the frames while she worked, as the sun was shining through they almost looked like a 
stained glass window.

Both of my grandmother’s were amazing quilters, crafters and community volunteers.  They helped make me into the person I am today and for that I am eternally grateful.  I have never had to buy a blanket because of the collection of beautiful quilts they each made for milestones in my life.  They taught me to be kind, help others and never be afraid to try something new.  They both volunteered in their communities, churches and helped neighbors when they were down on their luck.

 

My Grandma Jessie with the quilt she finished for my oldest after he was born 5 

weeks premature.  My Aunt took this picture the day she finished the quilt.  Sadly,

 my grandmother passed away the next day, just 8 days after the birth of my son.

Now, I have a mother and mother-in-law that are teaching my kids some of the same lessons.  My oldest is in 4-H.  I have learned that as a farm mom, summer is not the best time to work on projects with me, because most of my time is in a combine or tractor.  I have 2 amazing grandmother’s that aren’t afraid to step in and help out.  One has taken him shopping for material so he can make a pair of pajama pants and I am hoping the other will take him shopping again for his style revue clothes.  I won’t even start on how much the grandfather’s help with the livestock projects. 

My mother with my youngest son.  She is such a great listener and the

 boys totally have her wrapped around their little fingers.  She also lets them
plant anything they want in her garden.

These 2 amazing women in my life also volunteer a considerable amount of time to the youth of the area.  My mother has been a 4-H leader for over 25 years!  My mother in law logs hundreds of miles and hours each year with the Boy Scouts.  Looks like my boys have two great women to lead the way for them as well. 

My mother-in-law at Kindergarten Farm Day with her collection of wool items.  

She is an amazing resource for just about anything you would need to make a display.
She loves teaching kids and always has great visuals!

Think about this statistic from the Beef Checkoff this week:  Nearly one-half of cattle farmers and ranchers volunteer with youth organizations.  More than one-third donate time to other civic organizations.  The national average is 7% of all Americans volunteer for any organization.  WOW!!

Thank you to the wonderful women in my life, mothers, grandmothers, teachers, and especially my grandmother’s friends at church that helped me become who I am today and sometimes have to remind me where I began.  I love you all!  A Kansas Farm Mom